The Battle of Frenchtown (Battle of the River Raisin in Monroe
Michigan) was the largest battle fought on Michigan soil. This
battle was a major defeat for the Americans and was one of the
bloodiest engagements during the War of 1812. The massacre of some
wounded solders the following day shocked and enraged Americans
throughout the Old Northwest Territory. This incident soon became
know as “The River Raisin Massacre” and the rallying cry was
“Remember the Raisin”.

After
General William Hull surrendered Detroit to British Major General
Henry Proctor on August 16th, 1812 without a prolonged
siege, President James Madison placed General William Henry Harrison
in command of the Army of the Northwest Territory. This decision
placed Harrison over the not so popular
Brigadier General James Winchester. Winchester was then placed second in command under
Harrison. Harrison’s first plan of attack was to retake Fort Detroit
during a winter campaign. (At the time Detroit was considered a
critical outpost, and would allow the American forces to invade
Upper Canada.) Harrison split his army into two columns, one of
which he personally led to Upper Sandusky, while the other under
Winchester pushed farther west.
Winchester’s column, consisting of
2,000 untrained regulars and volunteers mostly from Kentucky,
established a base camp at the Maumee River Rapids (today known as
Perrysburg, Ohio.) Against Harrison’s orders, but at the request of
the local citizens of Frenchtown whose village had been occupied by
the British and Indians, Winchestersent a relief detachment
to Frenchtown, under the command of
Colonel Lewis.
Lewis departed
down the Maumee River to the frozen western shore of Lake Erie,
going north to the River Raisin. In a sharp skirmish on January 18th,
1813 Lewis dispersed a small detachment of British and Indians.

General
Winchester and 250 reinforcements joined Lewis at Frenchtown on
January 20th 1813. When Winchester departed the Maumee
Rapids he had left word for Harrison explaining his actions that
“Nothing… but progressive actions” would encourage the mostly
Kentucky volunteers as the following month their six month
enlistments would be up. (Previous to Frenchtown,
Winchester’s army
had not seen any heavy action.)

Harrison,
pleased with the success of
Lewis, feared that the British might
overpower Winchester’s forces before additional troops could reach
Frenchtown. Harrison arriving at the Maumee Rapids the day
Winchester left for Frenchtown, immediately ordered additional
troops to leave at once. Harrison, however, did not order Winchester
to return to the Maumee Rapids. Instead, he sent
Captain Nathaniel Hart
to the River Raisin with a message “to
hold the ground… at any rate”.

When
Captain
Nathaniel Hart arrived in Frenchtown, he found Winchester’s forces
ill-prepared for a British / Indian counterattack. Even after
receiving reports from the local residents that a large British
force was headed toward the Frenchtown settlement on the River
Raisin, Winchester maintained it would be “some days” before the
British “would be ready to do anything”. The over-confident
Winchester spread his troops throughout the Frenchtown Settlement.
Winchester had decided to put up for the night at an isolated home
south of the river and west from the rest of his men (about 1 mile)
well outside of the Frenchtown settlement, taking with him the
army’s extra black powder supply. Because of this arrangement
Winchester failed to provide adequate security for his troops.

Colonel
Henry Proctor commander of the British forces in the Detroit River
region organized a counter attack after learning of this take over
of Frenchtown. He gathered troops from Fort Malden, consisting
mostly of 597 British regulars from the 41st Foot and
local militiamen, and 800 Indians led by the
Wyandot Chief Roundhead
and
Walk-in-the-water, and six small cannons. Proctor crossed the
Detroit River and proceeded to Stony Creek, bringing his artillery
with him over the ice. The troops assembled the night of January 21st,
1813 only 5 miles north of Frenchtown, in readiness for the dawn
attack. His total force numbered over a thousand, perhaps as many as
1,300 compared to Winchesters 934.

Before
sunrise on the morning of January 22nd, 1813, the British
and Native forces surprised the Americans who took their positions
quickly and returned fire. American guards had been posted the night
before but no one was guarding the road to the north. Was it too
late to save Frenchtown?

“Only 20
minutes into the battle the US regulars under British artillery fire
and flanked by Procter’s Indians, withdrew from the fencerow toward
the river. Two companies of Kentucky militiamen rushed to stabilize
the regulars but they too were overwhelmed. As the regulars
retreated Captain James C Price and the fifty men in his Jessamine
Blues sought to retrieve the American wounded. Price’s men quickly
discovered that the Indians had encircled Frenchtown leaving a
narrow road as the only avenue of escape. As the Kentuckians
withdrew down the lane the Indians poured a withering fire into
their ranks.”

Winchester
was awakened that morning by artillery and gun fire and the sounds
of Indian attacks. Jumping from bed and the comfort of the isolated
farmhouse, he forgot his uniform coat. Minutes later Winchester
arrived on the right flank just as it was crumbling. He tried to
re-form the regulars on the opposite side of the river. This proved
impossible. Winchester, his sixteen year old son and several aides
were swept-up in the retreat, and were captured by Indians loyal
to Chief Roundhead and taken to Proctor.

“During
the rout, the US regulars broke into small groups and despite being
outnumbered, continued to fight until overwhelmed. Lieutenant Ashton
Garrett and about 20 men were surrounded and laid down their arms.
Their Indian captors then began shooting them. Garrett was the only
one to escape the massacre. Another group of Americans retreated
about three miles before being over taken. About half of whom were
shot or tomahawked. Some regulars removed their shoes so they could
run through the snow in their stockings to leave deceptive
footprints for the Indian pursuers. One of the men who employed this
trick was Captain Richard Matson. He and about thirty others were
the only regulars to escape death or capture.”

“As the
Americans right flank collapsed, the Kentuckians in the picketed
area on the left side of the line repulsed three British assaults
with “coolness and intrepidity”. At one point during the battle, the
Americans discovered that the British were moving to occupy a large
barn 150 yards in front of the US positions. Ensign William O Butler
volunteered to set the barn on fire. Carrying a firebrand in the
face of steady enemy gunfire, Butler raced to the barn and set it
ablaze. He then returned to the barn to place more straw on the
fire. By the time the ensign safely returned to his lines his
clothing was riddled with bullets.”

“Around
11:00 am the British fire slackened. The Kentuckians on the left
flank suffered five killed and about forty wounded. British losses
were a staggering one-third killed and wounded. One British observer
later noted that if the Americans had left their fortifications and
charged, Proctor’s right flank might have collapsed.”

“Unaware
of the defeat of the US regulars, the Kentuckians’
confidence rose as a flag of truce advanced from the British line.
However confusion replaced confidence when the volunteers saw that
the bearer was Major James Overton, General Winchester’s aide.
Colonel Proctor who accompanied Overton delivered a letter from
Winchester suggesting that the Kentuckians lay down their arms
.Proctor had convinced Winchester that if the Kentuckians did not
surrender the town buildings would be burned and the Indians would
kill the US wounded. Winchester later claimed that he recommended
the surrender because he believed the men behind the palisades were
in a state of desperation.”

Winchesters
letter to surrender shocked the Kentuckians. The Kentuckians had
vowed to fight to the end no matter what the consequence. Other
members of the Kentucky Militia pleaded with other officers “they
would rather die on the field” than surrender.
Major George
Madison (a distant relative to President Madison) looked to the
other American officers for advice. Madison then asked Proctor if
the Americans would remain safe if he ask his troops to lie down
their weapons. Proctor then replied “Sir, do you mean to dictate to
me?” Madison then indicated that his men would rather die in battle
than be massacred. Proctor agreed that all American property and
wounded would be protected. Madison then surrendered knowing he was
short of ammunition and surrounded by British and Indians. The
Kentuckian reluctantly laid down their weapons. It was shortly after
the Indians began robbing the Kentuckians. Madison objected to their
behavior and threatened to have his men shoulder arms if Proctor did
stop the Indians. Proctor then replied “The Indians are fierce and
unmanageable”, but when Proctor waved his sword the Indians stopped.

Fearing that
General William Henry Harrison would be sending reinforcements to
the River Raisin (Frenchtown) the British rushed through the
surrender ceremonies. Proctor departed for Fort Malden late in the
afternoon on January 22, 1813, with the British regulars, Canadian
militia and the Americans that could walk because there were not
enough sleighs for the American wounded. American casualties totaled
over 300 killed outright, about 60 seriously wounded and more than
500 taken prisoner Proctor reported 24 British killed and 158
wounded. There no reports of the Indian casualties.

Did Proctor
foresee the possibility of a counter attack? About 900 American
reinforcements had already started the long exhausting march though
rain, snow and mud. When they learned of Winchester’s defeat,
Harrison’s officers recommended they return to Maumee. Harrison did
send 170 of his “most active men” to help any of Winchester’s men
that may have escaped.

Captain
William Elliott and three interpreters, along with several
volunteers and two US surgeons, John Todd and
Gustave M Bower,
stayed behind to care for and guard the wounded. When the
Americans expressed concern that the two US doctors were not
adequate medical support, they were told “The Indians are excellent
doctors”. As the wounded watched their comrades march away, Proctor
proclaimed that he would return the following day with more sleighs
to transport the wounded to Fort Malden.

As light
broke, the Americans prepared for the arrival of the British with
sleds in tow, also looking south in hopes of seeing a relief column
of troops arriving from the Maumee Rapids. But instead Dr. Todd
witnessed the three interpreters leaving the Frenchtown Settlement.
Captain Elliott also disappeared during the night.

It was
10:00am on January 23rd when Todd was approached by
approximately 200 Indians who had entered the town. One of whom
confronted Todd and asked why the wounded had not been moved to Fort
Malden. The doctor explained that the sleds would return today the
Indian referred to the British as “damned rascals”, and continued
that the wounded would be killed.

Doctor Todd
later recalled the Indians were seeking revenge for the lives lost
from the previous day’s fighting, rather than drunk, as some have
claimed. The Indians then invaded buildings that housed the wounded
and began stripping them of their belonging. Some of the wounded
that could walk were taken captive. Those more seriously wounded
were murdered. Once the Indians began to set the building on fire
one could hear the cries from the wounded that could not escape the
burning building, those that managed to crawl to safety were
tomahawked at the door.

The brutal
massacre continued on. It was mid afternoon before the Indians and
captured Kentuckians left the Frenchtown Settlement for Fort Malden.
Those that were unable to keep up (according to one survivor) were
inhumanly butchered. Elias Darnell remember, “The road was for miles
strewed with the mangled bodies”. Estimates of the number of
wounded who were actually murdered by the Indians on January 23rd
range from half a dozen to 30 or 40.

This
incident soon became know as “The River Raisin Massacre” and the
rallying cry was “Remember the Raisin”.

The defeat at Frenchtown forced
Harrison to cancel his projected winter campaign to recapture
Detroit. Harrison instead took a defensive stand in Ohio and built
Fort Meigs at the Maumee Rapids, known today as Perrysburg.

Troops the morning of January 23rd 1813.

American

British & American Indians

Commanders

James Winchester

Henry Procter

Chief Tecumsch

1000 Regulars

200 Regulars

300 Militia

450 American Indians

379 dead

24 dead

561 wounded or captured

158 wounded

The inscription reads:"379 Americans under the Cols. Allen,
Lewis and Wells fought desperately against 3000 British and
Allies under Gen. Proctor. Forced to surrender, tho'
promised British protection, the prisoners left unguarded
were attacked and killed by the Indians."

The monument is located on
the north west corner East Elm Ave & North Dixie Hwy

Michigan Remembers the fallen
Kentuckians

The inscription reads:"Michigan's Tribute to Kentucky.
This monument is dedicated to the memory of the heroes who
lost their lives in our country's defense in the battle and
massacre of the River Raisin, January 22nd and 23rd, 1813"

"Erected by the State of Michigan 1904"

On this site as a memorial,
were buried unidentified remains of the victims of the River
Raisin massacre of 1813.

In 1872 surviving
veterans' of the war gathered in Monroe from Ohio and
Kentucky. They headed a colorful civic pageant which halted
solemnly honor to their fallen comrades. General George A.
Custer, a member of the local welcoming committee, read the
roll call of the veterans.

In 1904 -05 the ladies of
the Monroe Civic improvement Society induced city officals
to establish the old burial ground as a park. Appropriation
was made by the State of Michigan for the monument which
stands as a permanent tribute to Kentucky and her
militiamen.

The memorial and burial grounds is located
just south of downtown Monroe on the West side of Monroe St
between sixth and seventh streets.